Skip to main content

Cheap Trick, Janet Jackson, N.W.A., and NIN nominated for Rock Hall of Fame

Janet Jackson, Cheap Trick, N.W.A., The Smiths, Nine Inch Nails, Yes, and Chicago were all among the nominees announced today for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Class of 2016. In all, 15 musical groups — including seven for the first time — were nominated by the Cleveland, OH-based organization. First-time nominations include Jackson, The Cars, Steve Miller, the J.B.’s (James Brown’s band in the ‘70s), Los Lobos, and Chaka Khan.

The honor comes at a particularly notable time for Jackson, who released her first record in seven years last week, and N.W.A., as the ground-breaking rappers were recently profiled in the hit biopic Straight Outta Compton. N.W.A., The Smiths, and Trent Reznor’s Nine Inch Nails all landed a second nomination this year, though that’s no indicator that their names will be called.

Recommended Videos

“It’s a wide range,” said RRHOF CEO and president Joel Peresman to USA Today. “I always find that’s how it comes together, but it’s representative of different people’s definitions of rock.” He also noted that the nominations reflect a group’s musical influence, rather than how many records they’ve sold.

It’s certainly a welcome honor for Cheap Trick, who received their first nomination 15 years after the band was first eligible for the Hall (eligibility begins 25 years after a band’s first recording). The Rockford, IL-based five piece known for hits like Surrender, I Want You to Want Me, and Dream Police, have released 16 studio albums since their formation in 1973. While iconic classic rockers, they’ve been overlooked in favor of acts like Green Day, Joan Jett and The Faces (which included Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood) in recent years.

The inductees, which are selected by more than 800 artists, historians and music industry professionals, will be announced in December. The public can also participate in the process, casting votes at rockhall.com through December 9. The top five artists will make up a fans’ ballot, which counts as a single vote, according to USA Today.

The induction ceremony, which will be aired on HBO later next year, will be held in April in New York. Last year’s Hall of Fame inductees included Green Day, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Bill Withers, Lou Reed, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, and The Paul Butterfield Blues Band.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Chris Leo Palermino
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Chris Leo Palermino is a music, tech, business, and culture journalist based between New York and Boston. He also contributes…
How to download music from SoundCloud on desktop and mobile
Soundcloud Interface on a Macbook.

If you're a die-hard music fan, you probably keep a curated library of playlists packed with your favorite artists and albums on Spotify, Apple Music, or whatever your favorite music streaming app is. But how do you discover the best indie artists today? Some music-streaming platforms are better than others at celebrating the ‘unsung gem’ acts, but one of the most reliable forums for new, off-the-grid tunes is SoundCloud.

Founded in 2007, SoundCloud has always prioritized music that’s a bit under the radar. With over 320 million tracks in its library, the platform will even let you download a majority of its songs and albums.

Read more
The best kids headphones of 2025: for fun, safety, and sound
Two kids using the Puro Sound PuroQuiet Plus to watch something on a tablet.

Kid-friendly consumer tech is all the rage these days, so it’s no surprise that there’s an entire market of headphones designed exclusively for young ones. But when we think “kid-friendly,” sometimes we imagine products that are built to be a bit more throwaway than their adult counterparts. That’s not the case with the products on our list of the best headphones for kids, though.

We want our child-tailored headphones to include parental-controlled volume limiters, to ensure our children aren’t harming their eardrums. Pretty much every entry on our list checks this vital box, but we also wanted to point you and yours toward products that offer exceptional noise-canceling, built-in mics for phone and video calls, and long-lasting batteries for schooldays or a long flight.

Read more
How to master your equalizer settings for the perfect sound
An equalizer from eqMac.

While most people will simply flip on the radio or load up Spotify to listen to music, audiophiles like to dig a bit deeper and customize their experience. This often comes in the form of adjustments to the equalizer, which offers the freedom to tweak every aspect of the sound booming out of headphones or speakers. Even some streaming services now have built-in EQs, giving you more ways than ever to play with your music and find something that best fits your ears.

Tinkering with the equalizer can be daunting to newcomers, as there are tons of cryptic settings you can manipulate. And if you mess with the wrong one, your sound quality might take a nasty hit. Thankfully, learning the basics isn't too difficult.

Read more